Rail-joint.



B. BLAMPIED.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED 11150.4, 1908. 929,750 3 Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

2 SHEETS-MEET l.

WiTNESSESJ N 8. INVENTOR Q5 8a a W 5 a1 l I I fl ATTORNEY B. BLAMPIED.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 4, 1908.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

Z'SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTQR ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

7 4. S. ywh

BENJAMIN BLAMPIED, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

BAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909..

Application filed December 4, 1908. Serial K014611908.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN BLAMIIED, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to improvements in the devices whereby the adjacent ends of rails, when laid upon a railway roadbed, are fastened together.

One object of my invention is to provide a device of this nature wherein the joint plates will be so fastened to the rails by concealed means as to securely clamp between opposite plates the head, web, and base of the rail ends to prevent both lateral and vertical motions between the rails at the joint; leaving the rails, however, perfectly free tq move longitudinally under expansion and contraction.

A further object is to provide means for.

securing the joint plates in place without the use of through bolts. And a still further ,object is to provide means whereby the plates may be readily applied and removed without the manipulation of bolts and nuts; the nuts which I employ being fastened to the rails before the plates are applied, and being held from turning loose by the plates themselves, thereby dispensing with separate nut looks.

I attain my objects by constructing the ,joint and the members thereof in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 represents a side elevation of two rail ends united by my improved joint; Fig. 2, a transverse section through the joint and rail at one of the bolt holes; Figs. 3 and 4, side and end elevations of a specially de signed hammer, or sledge to be employed in setting up the joint; Fig. 5, a detail on a larger scale, showing an inward endof one of the nuts; Fig. 6, a side view of the nut, and one of the joint plates in transverse section, as applied thereto, a coupling bolt being also shown in connection with the nut; Fig. 7 an outward end elevation of the nut; Fig. 8, a longitudinal transverse section of the entire oint on the line of the bolts; and Figs. 9- to 12, detailsvshowing two different formsof coupling devices which can be used downward at 5 to engage the outer edges of the rail bases: thereby holding the rails in true alinement when the plates are in place. The plates are provided at suitable points with notches 6, 6, to receive the spikes, by which they are fastened down upon the ties. The rail webs are provided in the usual manner with bolt holes, there being two or more of these bolt holes in each rail; and, on the opposite sides of the webs, are fastened the fastening nuts 7 7 which are screwed into place upon the bolts 8 which pass through the holes in the rail webs. 'These nuts, as herein shown, are squared, and are off-set at their inward edges to form a groove between them and the Web of the rail, at the upper and lower sides of the nuts. The joint plates are grooved to pass over the nuts, and are provided at 9, 9, with inturned flanges or tongues, which engage the grooves formed between the nuts and the rail webs. As shown in Fig. 6, the inward sides of the joint plates are surfaced at 10 to fit the sides of the rail webs, and the tongues 9 are surfacedat 11 to engage theinward faces of the nuts, these inward faces of the nuts being set away from therail webs by means of the off-sets 12, formed on the nuts, or in the form of separate washers.

To assemble the joint, the nuts 7 are first screwed up tightly against the Webs of the tongues, as shown at. 13, in Fig. 8. The

joint plates are then driven alongthe rail and across the joint between the rails, and

" onto' the next rail, until theitongues have I the rails bet-ween;the-platesjandpreventing their lateral or vertical mot-ion between the engaged all the nuts,"as shown iii-Fig; 1, where the nuts andlbolts-"areindicatedini broken lines. It will be understoodthat the surface 11 on the tongue 9 will engage the I nuts 7 with a driving fit, therebysetting up the surfaces 10,13, and 4, tightly against the web,-l1ead,. and base ofjthei rails, re-.

spectively thus firmly securing :the ends of 'rail ends relatively to one' another. The

rails, however, are free to move longitue dinally, under the 'f0rce'of eXpans1on and contraction, asthe nuts are free to slide longitudinallyiin the 'plategrooves. When once in place the joint plates can-.

"not become loosened, since the nuts are held against' turning 1n the plate grooves, no other 'iut lock'bemg necessary. Should 1t become necessary to remove, the joint, to

replace a rail, 'or'for other purpose,'this can be readily and quickly done by simply drivl-ing'the plates longitudinally along the rails No time is reuntil released from the nuts. quired to unscrew the nuts from the bolts; and when replacing the o1nt,'1t lsonly nee 'essary'to see that the nuts are in proper posi- 'tionon the rail ends; There are no bolt holes to be brought into alinemenuas where the bolts pass J completely through the plates and rails. -Upon replacing a-.joint,.should"it "be found that the surfaces 1 1" on the nuts and plate :tongue's have become, worn, in

driving the plates on. and as, soias to leave.

the joints somewhat, loose, this looseness may betakenupby loosening thenuts and giving ftheibolt a quarter turn, and thereafter setting up thenuts, thereby bringing into posito engageclosely the nutson all sides, as shown in Fig. "6, in order to makesthe joint as tight as possible against lateral motionv between the rails. A driving fit, however, is

essentialbetwe'en the tongues 9 in the grooves formed between the nuts and the rail webs, The bolts '8 may extend completely through "the nuts '7, or only part way through, as

shown in the right hand nut in Fig. 2.

1 Shouldit be required to couple the rail ends "to ethenso astorender it impossible for said rail ends to move away from one another to too great-an extent, I "may fasten the nuts on oneside of the joint together in oneintegral plate, as shown'at 14 in 8; the bolt for coupling the rails together. In Figs. 9 to'12, I have shown two different forms of such coupling devices. Thus, I may employ holes in the webs of the rails being in such ease-elongated, as'iindieatedat 15,to. 'al1oW" p for-#theexpansion and contractionof the;

rails v Othferimeansiimay also'be employed at Beach. joint two coupling platesi;20.;pro- 1 vided with elongated bolt holes 21, which are placed against each side of the webs of v i the rail ends so as to span the'f joint, with the bolts 8 projectin fithroughholes .21". I

ii -sets 12, are then set f a Nuts .7 ,fwithout the o p I up into position against the plates 2C), and

the :joint plates 2-driveninto' place, the plates 20 taking the place of theoflt' sets.

Or, I may employ afpairof plates 24, provided with elongated holes23, adapted to fit reduced outerends 22 on nuts 7, the plates 24k being oprop rly shaped to. fit thei'grooves in the joint plates. d M .s y p or driving the joint; plates into pl-ace l preferably provide a specially devised hammer, asshown in Figs. 3 and 4,."wherein straddleithe head of thefrail, and to engage m the ends of the plates when setin position I against theweb o he ma; *Aihandlen is coupled to the top of the ham by The handle ;is inserted betweentheselugs,

prevent the hammer front tilting backward when driven up against thependsjof the e n f a r v tb lt i wh ch tast I through. lugs formed on the top oi ahead.

-and"the bolt- 18 passes through an eye inthe flattenedlend of the handle." end "of the handle is'al'so' provided'with rojections at Q opposite sides ofthe .ifvo't bo ts, whi ch"ferrgage the uppersideo the hamnierheail, to

plates. Thelhandle of. the hamn'ier thrown to either side to ,accommodatejthe I operator. The inward sides of thefhammer outward edges of the plate grams; to re;- vent thebruismgof said grooveswhen i are cut out, as shown in .Eig. 4 to fclearthc V riV- ing the plates o Or on the nuts; Thes ssets also permit the hammer to clear the nuts, when driving the, plates v,ofif' :break the ]011113., Should, however,{ the" nuts: be yer a lesser thickness thanshown, so asfto come rail, this off-set in theha-mmer wouldlnot required; The hammer'blows are delivered by sliding the hammer back and forth upon p 1- within the outer edges of the he ad ofthe The joint plates "will be roiied ia athe shape substantiall ashercin showh,' ndthe nuts and bolts wil beconstructed 'in 'alny deslrable manner, to; carryjout the inyeiition;

and I do jmyselftoanyparticular formation of the parts The 1. ton 'ues 9 011 h iei li e js r th' Q f-w is fiiw xl ie t as" 9 591 aniin lin' wisa corresponding surfaces on the nuts,- ifso 90 is the hammer head, which is adaptedto desired. I have shown the inclined surfaces, as being preferable for the purpose of rolling the plates. These inclined surfaces also act as a wedge to force the surfaces 3 and 4 against the head and base of the rails.

The bolts' and nuts when placed in the rails do not require to be removed when detaching or replacing the plates. Moreover, these bolts and nuts can be attached to the rails at the mills, if desired, thereby dispensing with the carrying of the bolts and nuts in bulk to the points of construction. The bolts and nuts are protected b the joint plates from the weather, and also rom being sheared off in case of derailment, as is frequently the case where the bolts and nuts are exposed. These plates and nuts are adapted to replace the joint devices now in use upon all standard rails; it simply being necessary to remove the old plates and bolts, and fasten my nuts in place b means of bolts passed through the old bo t holes, after which the joint plates properly formed to fit the rail may be driven into place.

What I claim as m invention and desire to secure by Letters atent is- 1. In. a rail joint, the combination, with the rail ends, of joint plates provided with longitudinal grooves opposite the webs of the rails and with tongues at the outward sides of the grooves, and a plurality of nuts bolted to and rojecting from the webs on each side, said nuts having portions thereof offset from the webs to form grooves for the reception of the tongues on the plates.

2. In a rail joint, the combination, with the rail ends, of joint plates provided with longitudinal grooves opposite the webs of the rails and withtongues at the outward sides ofthe grooves, bolts passing through the webs of the rails, and connecting devices removably and adjustably secured by said bolts to the opposite sides of the webs to form grooves or the reception of the tongues on the plates.

3. In a rail joint, the combination with the rail ends, of joint plates provided with longitudinal grooves opposite the webs of the rails and with tongues at the outward sides of the grooves, bolts passing through the webs of the rails, connecting devices removably and adjustably secured by said bolts to the opposite sides of the webs to form grooves for the reception of the tongues on the plates, and a coupling plate or lates uniting adjacent bolts on the rail en s across the oint.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

. BENJAMIN BLAMPIED.

Witnesses:

M. E. VERBECK, EUGENE DIVEN. 

